EU Officials: No Signs of Russia Planning to Attack NATO

A senior EU official said on the 27th that European intelligence agencies have not found any signs that Russia is planning to launch an attack on NATO's European member states. This follows reports from the U.S. indicating that CIA Director Ratcliffe warned Russia not to attack NATO member countries. In response to this news, both Russia and U.S. President Trump denied the claims on the 27th.

According to an anonymous EU official, "Overall, European intelligence agencies have not seen any risk of Russia attacking European countries, and this assessment has not changed." The official further clarified that this assessment also applies to NATO's European member states, and no preparations for an attack by Russia have been detected at this time.

Three informed sources told the U.S. Politico website on the 26th that Ratcliffe visited Russia on the 25th, warning Russia not to attack NATO member countries, especially the three Baltic states, while also using this rare visit to pressure Russia to reduce its support for Iran.

According to two of the informed sources, Ratcliffe also mentioned during his visit to Russia the recent new round of economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. on Iran, expressing a desire for Russia to stop sharing military equipment and defense technology with Iran, and suggesting that if Russia is affected by sanctions, it should not "overreact."

Russian presidential spokesman Peskov confirmed on the 26th that Ratcliffe's visit to Russia took place, and stated that President Putin did not meet with him. Peskov did not disclose the reason for the visit, saying that Putin was briefed on the meeting between the Russian side and Ratcliffe. On the 27th, Peskov refuted reports regarding Russia possibly preparing to launch a military strike against Europe during a regular press conference. "There are many such alarmist statements now. These statements are certainly not related to reality."

According to Russian sources on the 27th, Sergei Naryshkin, head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, said, "Yes, the meeting did take place, but there was nothing unusual about it." He stated that the two sides discussed "a range of issues within the purview of intelligence agencies" and described it as "a rather delicate and special matter."

On the 27th, Trump told the media at the White House that he had a good conversation with Putin and believes that Russia "will not attack NATO territory."

Earlier that day, Trump also made similar remarks during a phone interview with the U.S. Axios news site, stating that Ratcliffe's visit to Russia was "routine" and expressing confusion over the media reports related to it.